Main Water Supply Line

On my house rebuild project I am thinking of changing the main water line from the house to the outside turn-off in the front yard. It currently has 3/4" and I would like 1"

How does this normally work? Do I dig it up to the turn-ff and replace it myself or do I run it to the turn-ff and the city hooks it up? The water is turned off right now and the city is going to have to dig it up to replace the pipe down to the turn-off as it is bent.

If it helps this project is in Southfield, MI. The turn-off is in the front yard approx. 25' from the front of the house.

The flow will be regulated / affected more by the meter size and the homes plumbing than the line between the house and street, as far as changing from 3/4 to 1, unless it is a long run...how far is it from the street to the house?

The flow will be regulated / affected more by the meter size and the homes plumbing than the line between the house and street, as far as changing from 3/4 to 1, unless it is a long run...how far is it from the street to the house?

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Approx 50' from turn-off to main accross the street. I am not sure what size it is from the main to turn-off a neighbor was telling me it is 1 1/4"

I am assuming that there is a 1" meter as if my permit was for a new build house I would HAVE to put in 1" according to the water department told me last year.

If you have a 1" meter, then a 1" line would be proper. The size of the meter dictates the size of pipe you need. Going to a larger size would only help if you had a very long run by reducing friction, but in your case the difference would be too small to note and would be totally unnecessary.

Here's the thing. I do NOT have a meter yet. I have the old 3/4 line from the old house. This was a fire damaged house that we ripped down and rebuilt. The only thing left from the old house is one peice of the foundation and the water and sewer. When we bought the house the water meter had been destroyed from freezing over the winter.

I can either use the 3/4" or up it to 1". I was hoping that the 1" would deliver more water.
If I get 6GPM from the city on a 3/4 line wouldn't I get more from a 1"?

So before I call the city to order a water meter I figured I would ask you folks if its worth the $300 in copper to change to 1". Will I notice the difference in volume?

If the line to the supply is larger, then yes, your 1" line and meter will supply more volume. 6gpm is pretty anemic, actually, for a 3/4" line - the pressure would have to be really low to restrict it to that volume. Note, an average 1/2" bathtub filler valve will flow around that by itself, and if you turned anything else on in the house if all you had was 6gpm, you'd really notice it.

If the line to the supply is larger, then yes, your 1" line and meter will supply more volume. 6gpm is pretty anemic, actually, for a 3/4" line - the pressure would have to be really low to restrict it to that volume. Note, an average 1/2" bathtub filler valve will flow around that by itself, and if you turned anything else on in the house if all you had was 6gpm, you'd really notice it.

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The 6GPM is terrible. We at the end of the line in the city. Last year when I hooked up the pressure tester we only had 35 PSI, the city has been slowly turning up the pressure over the last year, now we have 45PSI but the flow is not good. I think the city needs to upgrade our lines. I won't hold my breath!!

I currently have 1/2" pvc supply line to my house. The meter and main supply line is approximately 50 feet from my house.

At some point under ground the pvc switches over to galvanized pipe and it comes into the house as galvanized. I actually thought it was all galvanized until i was digging a trench for my gutter drain and found pvc water line.

Anyway... I am going to replace all the galvanized inside the house (the pipes are starting to leak from corrosion) with PEX and thought it might be a good idea to upgrade my supply line size also. 1/2" sure looks small to me. They used that 1/2" white plastic with flared ends so they fit inside each other without fittings.

I am not sure what size my meter is. Have to uncover it a bit. sediment has covered the pipes under the meter. But what is "normal" for supply lines? Is there a rule of thumb?